Car crash safety standards go backwards from today

Crash safety standards for new vehicles go backwards from today after Australia’s peak safety body made it easier for less safe cars to earn a five-star safety rating.

In a further snub to car buyers, the independent Australasian New Car Assessment Program, which receives $1 million in taxpayer funds each year, boldly claims the changes equate to an improvement in safety.

The decision to adopt weaker European standards — and award a five-star crash safety rating to cars without rear airbags and with weaker frontal crash protection structures — has infuriated road safety experts and consumer groups.

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One of the first cars to benefit from ANCAP’s new lower standards is the Renault Captur SUV due on sale in February 2015.

The French vehicle was due to be released in Australia in late 2014 but the delay in its showroom arrival means it will get a five-star rating instead of a four-star rating had it gone on sale yesterday.

The changes risk causing further confusion among car buyers and ANCAP has come under fire from industry insiders who question why taxpayers should continue to foot the bill when it is adopting foreign crash test results of a weaker standard.

ANCAP — established in 1993, before EuroNCAP which was set up in 1997 — previously had higher standards but relaxed its rules in an attempt to avoid confusion with European crash test results.

For example, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Mini Countryman and Range Rover Evoque each scored five stars in Europe but only four stars when they went on sale in Australia because their frontal crash structures did not meet ANCAP’s five-star requirements.

But ANCAP, which markets itself as a protector of consumers, has relaxed its crash safety standards from January 1, 2015, after pressure from the car industry and its European partners.

When ANCAP foreshadowed the controversial changes in October 2014, Tom Godfrey, the spokesman for Australia’s peak consumer body Choice, said: “Any move to water down safety standards is a raw deal for the consumer. Any move to compromise these ratings in a bid to align with apparently weaker international criteria would not be a good thing for consumers.”

Choice said ANCAP had done good work in the past at improving vehicle safety, but adopting Europe’s weaker testing measures was a step backwards.

“Choice believes Australia should maintain the highest standards possible when it comes to car safety,” said Mr Godfrey.

Frontal crashes are more common but side impacts are more deadly, which is why ANCAP initially made side airbags mandatory for five-star cars.

EuroNCAP is not due to make rear airbags mandatory for five-star ratings until 2016 and currently has no plans to reinstate the minimum requirement of a 12.5 score out of 16 in the offset frontal crash test at 64km/h.

ANCAP chief executive officer Nicholas Clarke told News Corp Australia: “Rear airbags are important, there’s no doubt about that. But Europe will require them (for five star ratings) in due course. There might be room for a little bit of confusion but we will respond to consumers as they arise. It’s really those that have a very active interest in safety that would pursue issues of rear airbags over no rear airbags.”

What is ANCAP?

ANCAP (the Australasian New Car Assessment Program) is an independent body funded by the Federal Government, the roads and traffic authorities in each state and territory, motoring bodies (NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAC, RAA, RACT, AANT) and Insurance Australia Group. It was established in 1993, before EuroNCAP (1997).

Why does ANCAP exist?

ANCAP was intended to give consumers a more detailed analysis of how well a new car, its airbags and body structure protect occupants in a crash. Previously, buyers had little information other than an airbag count.

Does ANCAP have the power to ban vehicles from sale?

ANCAP has no power to stop a car from going on sale; instead it tests cars independently and then publishes the results in a star-rating system so consumers can distinguish the safety of new vehicles.

ANCAP milestones:

In 2011, ANCAP was the first body of its type to insist cars have electronic stability control (as well as meeting other crash test criteria) before being awarded five stars.

In 2013, ANCAP was the first body of its type to insist cars have airbag protection for back seat passengers before being awarded five stars.

The rules requiring rear airbags were made by ANCAP after a number of cars, including the 2008 Ford Falcon, scored a five-star rating even though they were not fitted with rear airbags. ANCAP closed the loophole in 2013 but from January 1, 2015, it will relax this rule and accept inferior EuroNCAP five-star results.